In the first indication that the CPI(Maoist) was trying to regroup itself in Telangana, police in Adilabad district had an exchange of fire with the left wing extremists on Thursday. Police said that the encounter took place in Mangi forest area under Triyani Mandal on Thursday morning during a combing operation.
This is the first such incident in many years. Bellampally additional Superintendent Police, Bhaskar Bhushan said that the Maoists fled the scene after the encounter leaving behind 9 kit bags. Police suspect that some Maoists were injured in the incident and they were continuing their search operations in the area. CPI(Maoist) State secretary, Bandi Prakash was also believed to be among the Maoists present there.
He said that the combing was intensified in the area in view of the annual celebrations of Maoists and people were asked not to venture into the forest area. Police had received the tip-off that a group of Maoists had entered the district from neighboring Maharashtra. “During the intensified combing, the encounter took place”, Bhaskar Bhushan said. The police has also sounded an alert in the district and has asked the elected representatives to be cautious in their movement.
Adilabad was the worst affected by Maoist violence before their presence was uprooted in 2005 from the entire State. It was in fact such an important hot bed for the Maoist, that the reign of left wing terror and violence had started in the State with a dramatic land mine blast in 1987 killing a large number of policemen.
In another related incident Maoists installed a temporary “Martyrs Memorial” on a State highway in Khammam district and paid tributes there. The memorial with a red flag was found Bandirevu under Bhadrachalam mandal. Police believe that this was also part of the annual celebrations of Maoists organisation.
Earlier, on June 19 neighboring Andhra Pradesh had also witnessed the first major encounter in many years when police killed three Maoists in Nallamalla forest area on the borders of Guntur and Prakasham districts. Many other Maoists had managed to flee.
Police recovered an AK-47 one SlR, carbined and a 303 rifle and explosives from the scene. Maoists have also indicated their presence in Mahbubnagar district by putting up posters in some of the villages recently. “All these happenings indicate that Maoists were trying to return and resume their activities in both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. It underlines the need for closer cooperation and coordination between the two States in tackling the menace”, said a senior police official.